Most common uses of aluminum

Aluminum, one of the most versatile and easily available metals, has now become a part of our daily lives. Besides, it is also one of the easiest metals to recycle on this blue planet. Discussing all the benefits and usages of this metal is beyond the scope of a small article. However, enlisted below are specific sectors in which the application of aluminum is common.

This metal is an integral part of the transport industry due to its unmatched strength to weight ratio. It is also researched that any car will have around 60% aluminum in it by 2025 (provide source). It also plays a vital  role in the construction industry.  Besides, making the structures temperature-efficient, this metal is also more malleable than traditional construction materials like steel and timber. Aluminum has revolutionized the window and door manufacturing industry, by replacing heavy woodworks with light but sturdy frames. Also aluminum frames can be powder-coated to any color with utmost ease. This metal has also become the primary choice for modern designs. Working with aluminum gives a designer the freedom to easily shape it into any furniture and give it a contemporary appeal. We cannot separate this metal from our daily lives, as it can be found in almost every consumer good, such as cans, bottles, and other packaging. It has become the first choice for the food and beverage industry for packaging. Kitchen products like foil and pots also have aluminum content. Starting from mobile phones to laptops, all the cutting-edge technological gadgets and equipment contain aluminum.

Source: https://www.highettmetal.com.au/blog/aluminium/most-common-uses-for-aluminium

Metal Recycling from Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW)

All construction companies now promote 'sustainable materials management' where they recycle and reuse certain CDW. This is mainly done to reduce the overall construction cost and the total aggregate demand for new building materials for a construction project.


CDW can be mainly divided into two categories: metals and non-metals. Wood, concrete, asphalt, bricks, glass, and plastics come under the non-metals category. On the other hand, ferrous and non-ferrous materials come under the metal category.


Around 95% of the total recovered metal from any construction project is actually steel. Besides, around 1-2% aluminum (mainly from doors and windows), 1-2% copper (mainly from piping and wires), and around 1% stainless steel (from structural supports) can be also recovered from Construction and Demolition (C&D) projects.

(Source: https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/b0ac5ce4-4253-4d2b-b001-0becf84b52b8/files/case-studies.pdf)


Steel is the easiest metal product to recycle from any C&D site as it can be segregated with minimal effort. And steel products actually produce almost zero waste. Besides, some surplus steel products such as tubes, rebars, pipes, claddings, and internal structural supports can be  reused with  little or  no reprocessing.



Recycling of steel products also has an environmental advantage, since there are  few environmental impacts due to minimal reprocessing. A majority of the steel products recovered from C&D projects can be sandblasted to remove coatings and base painting layers. Then, primer can be applied to use it for a new project. However, engineers do need to inspect and approve their properties and strengths before using it.



Other non ferrous metals, such as copper and aluminum, can be  melted to remove any impurities. They can finally be molded into new products to use in new construction sites.